This past week my thoughts went back to a young Indian lad I had come to know and like during my travels to Srinigar in Kashmir back in the year 1980. He was probably around ten years old at the time, but I can't remember his name. A Canadian friend and me were relaxing on a houseboat on Lake Dal in Srinigar, after having completed a long and interesting bus ride from New Delhi. As I recall, we stayed on the houseboat for close to a week, and during that time our little Indian friend was there to help us with whatever we needed. Along with helping around the houseboat, he was also our Shikara boat operator, and in this role, he would paddle us to shore and back to the houseboat when we needed to go to town to buy supplies.
SHIKARA BOATS AND HOUSEBOATS ON LAKE DAL IN SRINIGAR
On our final ride to shore in preparation for our departure back to New Delhi, the mood was somewhat sad. Richard and I had become friends with this young man and soon we would have to say our final goodbye, knowing that we would probably never meet again. However, I had a plan that I hoped would help during the goodbye scene. I had been practising the harmonica for a while, and I could tell that the young man was interested in it. As we got out of the boat, I handed the harmonica to him as a gift. It was just a random act of kindness, however the joy that it brought to the both of us was something that I can still recall, and even now, it puts a smile on my face. My friend Richard even managed to get a photo of the scene. Somehow, that small gesture, made our goodbye, a little bit easier to cope with.
So why after 34 years, would this memory have popped back into my brain? Meandering jet streams, is probably why. You see, this past week, Srinigar and the surrounding area has been inundated with extreme amounts of rain which has caused unprecedented flooding.
This...
For those paying attention, this scene has become common in various locations around the world now. As the Arctic sea ice continues its trend to zero, the temperature gradient between the equator and the pole becomes less, which causes the jet stream to slow down and meander, and so when it rains in a particular area, it REALLY RAINS. Even my home town of Calgary had the opportunity to experience what this was like last year.
THE ELBOW RIVER WITH THE HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL WHERE I WAS BORN (top centre, light brown colour) AND MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL (top right corner of photo)
And, wherever it happens, the infrastructure in place just cannot cope with such a huge amount of water in such a short period of time. (For more info you can check out guymcpherson.com or google Dr. Jennifer Francis regarding the meandering jet stream)
My little Indian friend, if alive today, would be in his mid 40's, and if he is still living in Srinigar, I can only imagine what he must be having to go through now.
And finally for today, here is a video that I came across this week, and I thought it could be of interest to anyone in the audience who might be considering a flight on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. After watching this, I would have to think twice about it.
Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
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